Local Area Networks (LAN) are commonly used in order to connect Client devices (such as PCs and Laptops) with Server devices (such as routers) in order to provide network services (such as Internet access) to Client devices. The physical connection amongst network devices (Clients or Servers) are made using Network Switches. In a Local Area Network using Ethernet technology, each device (client or server) is generally connected to a Network Switch using an 8-wire twisted pair Ethernet cable (hereafter referred to as Ethernet cable).
Deploying a LAN inside a building entails connecting all network devices to Network Switches usually situated in a Central Location (such as a telephone room) using Ethernet cables. However, this is often unfeasible as discussed below.
In order to deploy a LAN in an apartment complex, the process of installing cables between each apartment unit and the Central Location entails meeting following requirements:                A1) There is sufficient available space in cable routing channels and/or conduits for passing cables in the building.        A2) All apartment units are connectable to the Central Location; with the length of each cable (connecting a given unit to the Central Location) being less than 100 meters (as imposed by Ethernet technology capabilities and standards).        A3) There is sufficient space in Central Location.        
The following discussion includes an example which demonstrates a typical situation in which using SoEICWP modules would make it possible to deploy Ethernet based LAN in an apartment complex. In this example, the LAN deployment without SoEICWP modules is initially discussed.
In a typical 15 to 20 story apartment complex with 300 to 400 apartment units (approximately 20 units per floor), the central telephone room (i.e. the Central Location where Network Switches would be placed) is situated in the basement of apartment complex. In such a building, the maximum horizontal distance between the Central Location (i.e. central telephone room) to each unit may be in the range of 50 to 80 meters while the maximum vertical distance may be in the range of 50 to 60 meters. Cable routing channels and/or conduits are generally placed vertically in the building from top floor to the basement at which point they are routed horizontally towards the Central Location. Each of the above mentioned requirements (A1 to A3) are discussed in following points (B1 to B3) for deployment of LAN within such a building, respectively:                B1) In a 15 to 20 story apartment complex, a total of 15 to 20 Ethernet cables (proportional to the number of floors) would have to be placed inside existing cable routing channels and/or conduits. Such an amount of space is most often not available in existing buildings.        B2) The distance between some apartment buildings on higher floors and/or furthest away from the center of the building can exceed 100 meters. In such a case, these apartment units would be excluded from being able to connect to the LAN in order to benefit from provided services.        B3) A significant amount of physical space is required for installation and termination of 300 to 400 Ethernet cables along with necessary number of Network switches in the Central Location in order to form a LAN by connecting all Ethernet cables to Network Switches. This required space may be prohibitive in certain apartment complexes.        
The above mentioned points (B1 to B3) generally demonstrate unfeasibility of LAN deployment in an apartment complex. Furthermore, for given dimensions of the building in the above example, an average cable length of 60 meters per apartment unit is required. In other words, 18 to 24 kilometers of Ethernet cable would be required to connect all apartment units to the Central Location. This would also entail a significant cost.
Introduced Advantages and Improvements by the Invention:
The present invention, SoEICWP module, addresses the above mentioned requirements (A1 to A3) by providing solutions to points of unfeasibility (B1 to B3) mentioned above for deployment of LAN in apartment complexes.
Telephone terminals inside apartment units in apartment complexes generally use single-gang in-wall junction boxes. SoEICWP module is designed to be mounted over such a junction box. Each SoEICWP module includes an integrated Network Switch and can accept a number of Ethernet connections. From these Ethernet connections, at least two Ethernet connections are in-wall connections (and are not accessible after the SoEICWP module is installed over the in-wall junction box). These connections can be used to connect the SoEICWP module to neighboring SoEICWP modules and/or network devices using in-wall cable routing channels and/or conduits. The SoEICWP module generally provides at least one Ethernet connection through the wall plate. This connection provides access to the LAN in the apartment unit.
Using SoEICWP module in-wall Ethernet connections, multiple SoEICWP modules can be inter-connected in various configurations. A typical configuration for such an inter-connection is a chained connection in which each SoEICWP is generally connected to two other modules (for example to the SoEICWP module in the apartment unit one floor above and to the SoEICWP module in the apartment unit one floor below). When installed in all apartment units inside a complex, a single Ethernet cable (independent of the number of floors in an apartment complex) and a single Power Supply cable are passed through each cable routing channel and/or conduit. In such a configuration, only SoEICWP modules in the first floor are directly connected to the Central Location. As a result, the length of installed cables in addition to the number of cables arriving in the Central Location is significantly reduced.
Considering the above mentioned requirements (A1˜A3), the feasibility of SoEICWP modules for deployment of LAN in an apartment complex is discussed within following points, respectively:                C1) When SoEICWP modules are used, required space in cable routing channels is minimal and is equal to required space for one Ethernet cable and one Power Supply cable (which is not proportional to the number of floors).        C2) As mentioned in the above example, the general horizontal distance between apartment units on the first floor and the Central Location is 50 to 80 meters. This implies that all units on the first floor can generally be connected to the Central Location as the cable length between each unit on the first floor and the Central Location is less than 100 meters. On the other hand, maximum distance between units on adjacent floors is 3 to 5 meters. As a result, when SoEICWP modules are used, all units in an apartment complex can be connected to the LAN in the apartment complex.        C3) When using SoEICWP modules, the number of Ethernet cables arriving to the Central Location is proportional to the number of apartment s in a given floor. For the above example, only 20 Ethernet cables would arrive in the central telephone (instead of 300 to 400 Ethernet cables mentioned in point ‘B3’ above). In such a case, the required physical space in the Central Location is significantly reduced.        
Above mentioned points demonstrate the feasibility of LAN deployment in an apartment complex using SoEICWP modules. Furthermore, for the given dimension of the building in the above example, the required total amount of cable is in the range of 2 to 3 kilometers which entails a significant reduction (compared to the required amount of Ethernet cable discussed earlier for deployment of a conventional LAN in an apartment complex).
In brief, the present invention makes deployment of LAN more feasible in apartment complexes by significantly reducing physical space requirements for routing cables (in conduits) and facilities (in the Central Location).
This reduction in physical space is achieved by distributing the Network Switch functionality for Ethernet networks in the Central Location over the entire building using SoEICWP modules. The SoEICWP module implements a Network Switch in the limited space available behind the Wall Plate panel which is mountable over a single-gang in-wall junction box.